2nd Ithriyah-Raqqa offensive

The 2nd Ithriyah-Raqqa offensive (2 June 2016-) occurred during the Syrian Civil War, when the Syrian Arab Army and affiliated volunteer forces (such as the Desert Hawk Brigade, Ba'ath Brigades, Arab Nationalist Guard, Tiger Forces, and National Defense Forces) began an operation to liberate Raqqa Governorate from the clutches of the Islamic State terrorist group. The offensive saw 5,000 Syrian government troops, led by the veteran Suheil al-Hassan, advance towards the Islamic State capital of al-Raqqa, with the Tabqa Air Base being a major strategic objective. In June, the front lines shifted back and forth as the Syrian Arab Army and IS militants fought over the villages, crossroads, and oil field near Tabqa Air Base, and the army's initial progress was reversed by a wave of IS suicide bombings and counterattacks. The Islamic State also released a video of its fighters executing stripped-down Syrian Army prisoners-of-war and dumping them into a mass grave, showing cruelty against the secular government.